SOUTH BEND -- College students expect to receive report cards detailing their progress, but what if their campuses were handed report cards, too? Regional "report cards" are in the future for Ivy Tech Community College campuses, to track how well the statewide college is doing in its assigned task of becoming an engine for economic development in Indiana. Community colleges are booming across the nation. About 45 percent of American undergraduates are enrolled in community colleges. In Indiana, that figure is only 21 percent. "We would like to look more like the national average," said Carol D'Amico, executive vice president of the statewide Ivy Tech system. The cost of attending a community college is roughly half that of a traditional, four-year campus, so both students and taxpayers would save money, she said. D'Amico visited South Bend on Wednesday to unveil the college's new strategic plan to employees of the South Bend, Elkhart and Warsaw campuses. D'Amico formerly served as President Bush's assistant secretary for vocational and adult education. Goals that Ivy Tech intends to reach by 2010 include:

Increasing by 50 percent the number of associate degrees and technical certificates awarded, and the number of successful student transfers to four-year institutions.

Improving remedial courses offered so they effectively and quickly move students into college-level work.

Ensure that enrollment, retention and graduation demographics reflect the communities each campus serves.

Expand dual-enrollment programs that allow students to earn both high school and college credit.

Establish statewide transfer agreements between Ivy Tech and all four-year campuses. Ivy Tech locally has excellent transfer agreements with Indiana University South Bend, but such agreements are not the standard in all communities, D'Amico said. Under the strategic plan, each Ivy Tech region will be rated regularly on a series of 10 measures, including enrollment, remediation, retention, employer satisfaction and innovation. The college system will issue "report cards" charting the progress for each region. "We, as chancellors, are going to be held accountable," said D'Amico, who also serves as chancellor of the Indianapolis campus. Ivy Tech has 23 campuses. The system has seen an 84 percent growth rate in the past decade, now serving 75,000 students. The student body as a whole is growing younger, with two-thirds of students under age 29. "That's reflective of our mission to be a starter institution," said D'Amico, referring to the goal of providing the first two years of college for students who then transfer to four-year campuses. About 1.3 million Hoosiers don't have the language and math skills needed to successfully enter college, D'Amico said. And Indiana is 46th in the nation in the percentage of adults with any college training, she said. When companies consider whether to locate new facilities in a state, one of the first things they consider is how many college-educated adults are available, she said. Staff writer Margaret Fosmoe: mfosmoe@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6329